


Our Shadows Grew up, Too

by Zoejoy24



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [6]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: BAMF Dani, Backhanded Slap, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Canon Character of Color, Canon-Typical Violence, Female Character of Color, Gen, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Malcolm Bright Whump, Malcolm Talks too Much, Murder, Vigilantism, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23125393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoejoy24/pseuds/Zoejoy24
Summary: Malcolm doesn’t back down.  His jaw is set stubbornly, eyes flashing with an anger of his own, and suddenly a piece falls into place for Dani.Girls.  All the victims have been girls or young women.  Like the girl who haunts Malcolm’s dreams, the case he never solved.**Malcolm gets carried away questioning a potential witness and Dani isn't sure which is harder, protecting him from himself, or the man he'd just accused of doing horrible things with no evidence and no back up.Written for Bad Things Happen Bingo for the Backhand Slap square.
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1610707
Comments: 25
Kudos: 52
Collections: Bad Things Happen Bingo





	Our Shadows Grew up, Too

“Third body in as many weeks. Where are we at on leads?” Gil asks his team as they gather in the conference room, clustered around the case board.

There are three pictures on it. Three young women, girls really, not even out of their teens, two of them underage. Dani studies them in silence, cataloging similarities, differences, looking for any sign of what may have made their killer choose these three in particular, any hint that could lead them back to him.

“These aren’t premeditated,” Bright begins. He’s subdued, which is unusual for him. But then again, they all are. It’s never fun to work a murder case, but you get used to it after a while, you learn to compartmentalize. 

There’s something about kids, though, that makes it harder to do that. When young people with promising lives ahead of them are murdered before they’re even out of highschool, it hits a little harder.

Dani listens intently to Bright’s profile, but she looks at the pictures on the board while he talks, memorizing their faces, silently vowing to herself and them that they’ll catch whoever is responsible for their murders.

***

“How sure are we that this is our guy?” Dani asks as she and Bright walk into the busy nightclub.

“Seventy-five percent,” Bright responds flippantly. 

Dani rolls her eyes but he doesn’t see, he’s already scanning the crowd, reading the room. She’s about to press him further, but he beats her to it.

“I’m more confident that this is where they’re being picked up. I’m not sure if Julian is our man, but he’s a good place to start.”

“Alright. Just, try not to piss off half the club in the process, okay?” Dani urges him.

“I would never!” Malcolm protests.

Dani sighs. He’s been on edge with this case, pushing himself, and their witnesses and potential suspects hard. His questions have always been pointed, aimed at getting to the heart of things, but the past few days he’s been brutally honest, unforgiving in his line of questioning. Gil has had to reel him in more than once.

She doesn’t know why this case has affected him the way it has, but Dani knows she’ll be watching him just as closely as she does their suspect.

Elias Julian operates several clubs in the city, each appealing to a different clientele. The one they’re at is geared towards a younger crowd and offers several 18+ nights during the week, and they’ve been suspected of letting kids who are even younger in if the price is right and it's a slow night. All three of their victims had visited the club the night of their murders. Though their bodies were found in different locations and varying distances from the club, it was the only connection they had found so far between all three victims.

Dani isn’t flashing her badge or gun, but she isn’t trying to hide them, either. They were there to talk, but nothing more. She only hopes that Bright will be satisfied with whatever information they could get out of Julian, and that it would be enough for him to determine whether they should pursue the man further or look elsewhere for someone fitting his profile.

Julian wasn’t hard to find. In fact, he found them first in the form of two bouncers stopping them as they skirted around the dance floor and asking politely that Dani and Bright accompany them. They share a look, Bright shrugging his shoulders as if to say ‘why not?’ Dani nods back to the two men, and they follow in silence.

Julian’s office is located on the main floor, down a short hall off the main room of the club, just behind the bar. Its well lit inside, a stark contrast to the low light in the rest of the club. Julian is there along with another man, and after showing them in the two bouncers remain outside. 

The back half of the room, farthest from the door, is a practical office space, with a desk surrounded on both sides by bookshelves and filing cabinets, and a small refrigerator. Between the door and the desk are several plush chairs situated around a low coffee table. Julian is leaning against the front of his desk and the other man is seated in one of the armchairs in front of him, leaning back into the plush cushions, relaxed. The room and the scene the two men set looks cozy, almost. Like a vanilla business office and not the back room of a seedy club owner.

As soon as the door closes Julian straightens up a bit, though he doesn’t rise fully, and gives them both a winning smile. 

“How can I be of assistance to the NYPD today?” he asks, expression open and friendly, tone light.

Dani’s only a little surprised that he discovered who they were so quickly. You can’t be known for cutting corners and getting away with it like Julian does if you aren’t skilled at detecting the presence of potentially problematic people in your club.

“We’re investigating a string of murders, Mr. Julian, and your club is the only link between our victims,” Dani replies, returning the club owner’s direct approach with her own. 

Malcolm remains quiet, but a quick glance tells Dani that he’s taking in every single detail that Julian doesn’t want them to see. She’s grateful for the profiler’s presence. She’s not lacking in observational skills herself, but having Bright there allows her to focus specifically on Julian and their conversation, knowing that he’ll catch any other details that are relevant to their investigation.

Julian whistles, low and long, overly dramatic, and though his relaxed posture doesn’t change he’s visibly agitated with the line of questioning. She doubts he did it, but he clearly doesn’t want to talk about who did, either.

“Murders? Three? I don’t know anything about that. A lot of people come through here during the week. I think it must be a coincidence.”

“Do you know the kind of reputation this club has?” Malcolm asks, stepping forward, eyes narrowed in consideration as he addresses Julian.

Dani frowns at the sudden change of topic, but doesn’t say anything, trusting that he knows what he’s doing.

“A good one, I hope,” Julian jokes, giving his men a smile and nod, laughing at his own humor.

“Well if you’re underage and hoping to get into a club illegally, then yes I suppose it is,” Malcolm pushes. 

Julian’s smile falls but he clearly isn’t surprised by the accusation. Dani is sure that he is fully aware of the suspicions that surround the way he runs his business.

“This is an upstanding establishment, detective...?”

“Bright. And I’m not a detective, I’m a consultant,” Bright replies.

“Mr. Bright. Who is not a detective. So then, why am I answering your questions?” Julian pushes, again looking to his companion, who shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders in response.

“We’re just trying to put some pieces together, Mr. Julian,” Dani cuts in. “I’m sure you don’t want word getting out that this isn’t a safe place to go anymore, right? That kids who hang here end up dead?”

Julian scowls, all signs of joking gone as he considers the implications of Dani’s words.

“I’m sure you’re not involved. Directly,” Malcolm continues. “But I think you know who is. It’s no secret that you’re willing to bend the rules for a little extra cash, to bump your numbers up. Does he pay your men to turn a blind eye? Do you give him free range in exchange for money?”

The man in the chair sits up straighter, shifting in his seat, no doubt freeing up space to reach for whatever weapon he has concealed on his person. Julian straightens as well, pushing off the desk and stalking forward a few paces till he’s less than an arms length away. He looks down at Malcolm, lips pressed firmly together, eyes sparking with anger.

“I don’t like what you’re implying, and I don’t have to answer you. Either of you!” he exclaims, giving Dani a pointed look as well. 

He’s upset, something in Malcolm’s line of questioning must have hit a nerve, but she doesn't know what. Malcolm doesn’t back down. His jaw is set stubbornly, eyes flashing with an anger of his own, and suddenly a piece falls into place for Dani. 

Girls. All the victims have been girls or young women. Like the girl who haunts Malcolm’s dreams, the case he never solved. She starts to speak, hoping to reel him in a bit, diffuse the situation but he presses on.

“Do you make sure their drinks are extra strong? We didn’t find any drugs in their system, but they’d all been drinking. Does he pay you to get them ready for him?”

“Malcolm, stop,” Dani hissed, sensing the rising tension in the room, her hand inching towards the gun at her hip. 

But, of course, Malcolm had one more point to make, one more question to ask, one last button to push.

“Maybe it wasn’t just about the money. Maybe it was all about you. Tell me Julian, do you like them young, too? Does he let you watch?” 

Julian reacts almost before the words have left Malcolm’s lips, lashing out fast and hard, a vicious backhanded slap that sends Malcolm to the floor. He’s got a gun out and pointed down at Bright a moment later.

Dani draws her own gun in response, pointing it steadily at Julian. But they’re outnumbered and Julian’s companion is on his feet in a flash, gun out and pointed and Dani just as fast.

Malcolm pushes himself to his knees with a groan. His lip is split, and as he sits up he wipes his hand across his mouth, leaving a bright red smear of blood. He looks up and notices the gun pointed at his face for the first time and the standoff that’s taking place around him. He stills, settling back on his heels with hands raised slightly, but his expression is as defiant as ever as he looks steadily up at Julian. Dani glares at him, willing him not to speak, to just keep his mouth closed for once in his life. 

The room is silent for a moment, no one moves or speaks, then Dani takes a deep, calming breath. She doesn’t lower her gun, but she relaxes her posture, dropping her shoulders, loosening her grip so that her finger isn’t quite so close to the trigger.

“Julian, I told you before. We just need some help,” she says evenly. “You don’t have to tell us anything, but word will get out eventually that all three of those girls were here before they died.”

Julian scowls at her words and Dani rushes on before he can get angry again.

“That’s not a threat, that’s just the way it is. So why don’t you help us out, and we can do our best to keep that from happening.”

“You know, if what you say about me is right, there’s no reason why I couldn’t put a bullet in both of your heads and have my man take care of your bodies,” Julian says, still fixated on Bright. 

He takes a few steps forward, close enough that he can press the muzzle of the gun against Malcolm’s forehead. Dani knows Malcolm well enough to see that he’s worried. Color drains from his face and his eyelids flutter shut when Julian presses the gun against his skull. His hand shakes, too, but he doesn’t move it from where he has it raised in the air in front of him.

“I was only partly right, though, wasn’t I?” Malcolm asks quietly.

Dani rolls her eyes, tensing once more as Julian scoffs in disbelief.

“You’re still talking?” he asks, incredulous. 

He shifts the gun, presses it against Malcolm’s temple instead and presses in, forcing Malcolm to turn his head so that he’s facing Dani. Malcolm hisses in pain as Julian continues to apply pressure, twisting the hard muzzle of the gun into his skin.

“Is he always this mouthy, Detective?” Julian asks, glancing at her with eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, pretty much,” she admits.

Julian laughs at that, a staccato note that he can’t quite contain in his surprise at her candor.

He looks back down at Malcolm, considers him for a moment.

“Julian, if you kill him, you’ll be dead before his body hits the ground,” Dani says quietly.

Julian looks back at her in surprise, and so does Malcolm. His clear blue eyes are wide in surprise, which surprises her in return. Did he expect her to leave him to the wolves? To let Julian do what he wanted with Malcolm as long as she got the information they needed?

_ ‘Probably _ ,’ a voice whispers softly in her mind. Damned self-sacrificing idiot.

“Well, lucky for both of you, Malcolm here was only partly right. I’m not a killer, especially not a cop killer. Though I guess you don’t count, do you?” he asks Bright, pushing hard enough against his head to off-balance him and nearly send him sprawling.

The Julian steps back and lowers his gun, and Dani releases a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. She lowers her gun, slowly, watching the other man out of the corner of her eye as he does the same. She steps forward and offers Bright her hand, pulling him to his feet easily. He sways and grasps at her forearm to steady himself for a moment, eyes closed as he breathes deeply.

“You good?” she asks him quietly.

He nods, gives her a look that’s half apology and half gratitude before turning back to Julian.

This time he speaks slowly, choosing his words carefully, seeking to understand, not insult or incense.

“You know who did it,” he begins quietly, watching Julian’s reactions intently. “But you didn’t know what they were doing, and you weren’t helping.”

Julian remains quiet, his face impassive, but from the way he shifts in place and crosses his hands in front of him, Dani decides to interpret his silence as agreement.

“You want to take care of them yourself,” Malcolm concludes.

“I don’t have any information that could be helpful to the police,” Julian says finally, emphasizing the word helpful. “But I can assure you that I had no knowledge of what was happening, and that I will not allow it to take place any longer. You don’t need to worry about any more dead girls.”

Malcolm nods in acceptance, glancing back at Dani to gauge her reaction. She nods too, though in her mind she thinks about Bright and muses,  _ ‘If only that were true, Julian…” _

***

They have no more leads, but two days later Bright walks into the conference room and slaps a paper down on the table.

“Case closed,” he declares. 

Dani looks over at the paper and immediately notices a small headline halfway down the page.

**“Suspected rapist found dead outside club after brawl turns fatal.”**

Her eyes dart back to Bright’s in surprise. His face is still bruised, from cheek to chin, and his lower lip is swollen, the cut there standing out against his pale skin.

“Julian?” she asks.

“I’d say so. It’s one of his clubs, and the man was an employee. Julian must have realized he was the one doing the killing, and dealt with him on his own terms.”

JT whistles, low and long. “I don’t suppose there’s anyway we can prove that the dead guy is our guy?”

“Unfortunately, no. Another cold case, destined to go unsolved, at least in the eyes of the law,” Bright mutters, turning to the three case files and slapping them closed.

“At least we know he’s out of the picture now, right?” Dani asks softly. “We did what we could, and he’s not going to hurt anyone else.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right,” Malcolm replies, giving her a tired smile and waving his hand absently. “We did what we could.”

Dani smiles at him sadly, wishing that he could learn to accept those words for himself and forgive himself for all the times when ‘what we could’ just wasn’t enough.

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is much shorter than what I usually write. I'm actually proud of myself for keeping it so short, its quite the accomplishment for me. And if you are sad because it is so short, DON'T WORRY. Give it a few weeks here and you'll probably wish I only wrote short tings ever again. 
> 
> No but seriously I promise there is... more to come. Not this story, just more Fic in general. One specifically. A very long one. And some other ones... look I've got some stuff in the works I'm pretty hyped about and I can't wait to share with you guys. Just hang in there till Saturday and all will become clear. 
> 
> Mostly. Sort of.


End file.
